أرى الشاعرَ المِلحيَّ راحَ بنا صَبَّا

أرى الشاعرَ المِلحيَّ راحَ بنا صَبَّا

نباغضُه عَمْداً فيوسِعُنا حبَّا

نباغضُه عَمْداً فيوسِعُنا حبَّا

I see the poet al-Milḥī has become enamored of us.

I see the salty poet went with us morning

We deliberately show him hatred, yet he lavishes love upon us.

We hate him on purpose to widen our love

دعانا ليستَوفي الثناءَ فأظلمَتْ

دعانا ليستَوفي الثناءَ فأظلمَتْ

خلائقُ تستوفي لِصاحِبِها السبَّا

خلائقُ تستوفي لِصاحِبِها السبَّا

He invited us to win full praise, but dark were

He called us to get praise so the morals darkened

the traits that earn their owner a full measure of abuse.

Morals that get enough blaming for their owner

تيمَّمَ كَرخايا فجاد قلبُيها

تيمَّمَ كَرخايا فجاد قلبُيها

عليه وما شُربُ القليبِ لنا شُربا

عليه وما شُربُ القليبِ لنا شُربا

He made for Karkhāyā, and its well gave generously

He eyed the jars so their hearts overflowed

to him—though drinking from that well is no drink for us.

onto him while the hearts were not drunk by us

وأحضَرَنا محبوسةً طولَ ليلِها

وأحضَرَنا محبوسةً طولَ ليلِها

معذَّبةً بالنارِ مُسْعَرةً كَرْبا

معذَّبةً بالنارِ مُسْعَرةً كَرْبا

And he brought us a captive held throughout her night,

And he brought us imprisoned all night

tormented by fire, ablaze with anguish.

Tortured by fire, blazing with anxiety

تحتَّتَ من رَطْبِ الذُّؤابَةِ لحمُها

تحتَّتَ من رَطْبِ الذُّؤابَةِ لحمُها

ومن يابسِ الحَبِّ الثقيلِ لها الحُبَّا

ومن يابسِ الحَبِّ الثقيلِ لها الحُبَّا

Her flesh crumbled from the moist-tufted one,

Her meat was wet from the moisture of freshness

and from the dry, heavy grain came love for her.

And dry beans were her heavy love

وساهرَها ليلاً يُضيِّقُ سِجنَها

وساهرَها ليلاً يُضيِّقُ سِجنَها

فلما أضاءَ الصُّبحُ أوسَعَها ضَرْبا

فلما أضاءَ الصُّبحُ أوسَعَها ضَرْبا

He stayed awake with her at night, narrowing her prison;

He stayed up at night, tightening her prison

then, when dawn shone, he showered her with blows.

So when dawn lit up he widened her beating

إذا مسحَتْها الرِّيحُ راحتْ كأنما

إذا مسحَتْها الرِّيحُ راحتْ كأنما

تُمسِّحُ موتَى كشَّفَتْ عنهمُ التُّربا

تُمسِّحُ موتَى كشَّفَتْ عنهمُ التُّربا

When the wind brushes her, it passes on as though

When the wind wipes her she walks as if

caressing corpses from which it has swept the earth away.

Wiping the dead whom the soil uncovered

وداذنةٍ تنهَى الصَّباحَ إذا بدا

وداذنةٍ تنهَى الصَّباحَ إذا بدا

وتُفسِدُ أنفاسَ النَّسيمِ إذا هَبَّا

وتُفسِدُ أنفاسَ النَّسيمِ إذا هَبَّا

And a dādhī-infused brew that bars morning when it appears,

And a black slave girl who warns the morning when it appears

and spoils the breeze’s breath when it blows.

And spoils the breaths of the breeze when it blows

شَرابٌ يُفضُّ الطين ُعنه إذا بدا

شَرابٌ يُفضُّ الطين ُعنه إذا بدا

ثلاثةَ أيامٍ وقد شَبَّ لا شبَّا

ثلاثةَ أيامٍ وقد شَبَّ لا شبَّا

A drink whose clay seal is broken when it emerges,

A drink that reveals the mud from it when it appears

three days old, already grown strong—may it never grow strong!

Three days while the youth matured without maturity

يُمدُّ بأطرافِ النهارِ وما افتَرى

يُمدُّ بأطرافِ النهارِ وما افتَرى

ولا كانَ خِدْناً للزُّناةِ ولا تِربا

ولا كانَ خِدْناً للزُّناةِ ولا تِربا

It is diluted at the day’s ends, though it never slandered,

It extends at the edges of the day and does not get exhausted

nor was it an intimate of adulterers, nor their peer.

It was neither a pillow for the adulterers nor a burial

فلما تراءَتْ للجميعِ حبالُنا

فلما تراءَتْ للجميعِ حبالُنا

عجبتُ لمضروبَيْنِ لا جَنَيَا ذَنبا

عجبتُ لمضروبَيْنِ لا جَنَيَا ذَنبا

Then, when our ropes appeared to everyone,

So when our ropes appeared to everyone

I marveled at two beaten ones who had committed no offense.

I was amazed by the beaten who did not commit a sin